Improvement in ambulance-carriages



T. 'WILKINS,

Ambulance.

Patented Nov 22,. 1864.

urn 55 55;

THOMAS VVILKINS, OF GREENYILLE, ILLINOIS.

EMPROVEMENT IN AMBULAMCE-CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. da'ifltlllll, dated November 22, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, T. WVILKINs, of Greenville, in the county of Bond and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Ambulance-Carriage; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line 50 :12, Fig. 2; Fi 2, a rear view of the same; Fig. 3, a detached perspective view of a litter pertaining to the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new and im proved ambulance carriage for conveying the wounded from the field of battle to the hos pital or place designed for their subsequent treatment.

The object of the invention is to obtain a carriage for the purpose specified which will convey the patients with the greatest possible ease and admit of them being placed in and taken from it with great facility, and and possess other advantages, hereinafter described.

A represents the front, and B the back, axle of the carriage. These axles are connected by a bottom board, 0, of a hard, elastic wood-such as ash, for instancewhich will serve in a certain degree as a spring. The front part of this bottom board is hollowed out at each side, and is secured to the front axle, A, by a king-bolt, a, to admit of the turning of the axle and of the cramping of the front wheels in a very oblique position relatively with the back wheels, so that the carriage may be turned within a small compass. On the bottom-board, 0, there is secured trans versely a bar, D, and on this bar there is firmly attached a rectangular frame, F, composedof three longitudinal strips, a, connected by cross-bars b. The back part of this frame E rests on a steel elliptic spring, F, and the central strip a of said frame projects for ward over the front axle, A, and rests upon a similar spring, F, both springs F F bearing upon the bottom board, 0. A division'board,

l G, is placed on the central strip, a. On the front part of the central strip, a, the drivers seat H is secured, and also a foot-board, I, the spring F being under the footboard. The front part of the bottom board, 0, where it is hollowed out, may be strengthened by metal bars I), secured to its sides, and also by a metal bar, 0, secured to its bottom or under side, the king-bolt a passing through the front end of the latter.

I would remark that in lieu of the steel elliptic springs F F wooden springs may be used, interposed between the bottom board, 0, and frame F, and arranged in proper way.

The above-described part-s compose the ambulancecarriage. The patients are placed in it on what may be termed litters L, composed of a rectangular frame, M, on which cloth is is nailed or otherwise secured. This cloth may be sufficiently large to extend considerably beyond the frame to form a sheet, in which the patient may be rolled or covered before being placed on the litter. (See Fig. 3.) These litters may be carried by means of folding handles or bars a (shown in Figs. 1 and 3,) and they are placed in the ambulance so as to rest on the strips a of the frame E. By means of these litters thus arranged the patients may be readily placed in and taken from the carriage, and it will be seen that they will be conveyed in it with comparative ease, as the frame E rests on springs F F, and the bottom board, 0, also serves as a spring.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An ambulancecarriage having its front and rear axles, A B, connected by an elastic bottom board, 0, with a frame, F, resting on a cross-bar, D, attached to O, with springs F F, steel or wood, interposed between them. The front part of the bottom board being hollowed out to admit of the cramping of the front wheels, and all arranged substantially as set forth.

2. The litters L, composed of frames M, with cloth is attached, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

THQMAS WILKINS. \Vitnesses:

L. ADAMS, J. F. ALEXANDER. 

